10 things to do in Scotland this week

Johnny Marr. Picture: PA

THIS week’s arts, entertainment and leisure picks from across Scotland, including music from Johnny Marr, FOUND and Yo La Tengo, a site-specific theatre work in Shetland, a cinematic tribute to David Bowie and the start of the Edinburgh International Science Festival.

Johnny Marr has rarely been idle since leaving the Smiths in 1987, playing in Electronic The The, Modest Mouse, The Cribs and his own band, Johnny Marr and the Healers. Now he’s finally gone solo, and Scottish audiences get their first chance to hear the results this week as Marr showcases his new album The Messenger at the O2 ABC in Glasgow on Tuesday.

For six months, the National Theatre of Scotland has been working with people from across Shetland to create stories about their relationship with cars. The Ignition project will climax this week with a series of site-specific performances that promise to “carry you away on a shared car adventure” involving “parkour, music, hitchhikers, dance and text”.

Dance: Moscow Ballet – La Classique

Friday @ Caird Hall, Dundee, 7.30pm, £23

Saturday @ Alhambra Theatre, Dunfermline, 7.30pm, £21.50

Sunday @ Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, 7.30pm, £17.50 – £23.50

Coppélia is a classical ballet in three acts, telling the story of eccentric Doctor Coppelius and his clockwork creation, performed by Moscow Ballet – La Classique, which was founded in 1990 with dancers from the leading theatres of the former Soviet countries and the Bolshoi, Kirov and Ballet Theatres of Kiev and Odessa.

This is the first in a series of free concerts at The Caves organised by Dewar House Experimental Batch brings together Edinburgh art-pop collective FOUND and former Arab Strap man Aidan Moffat, who were last seen together last year at the interactive gig experiment, #Unravel. Tickets are free but are limited to 300, available on the door on a first come, first served basis.

Substance continue to host an impeccable run of guests with Hessle Audio alumni Objekt, whose tough, UK-influenced techno releases have found plenty of admirers. JD Twitch (one-half of Optimo) is an equally impressive headliner.

Although achieving limited mainstream success in the UK, Yo La Tengo are one of the biggest indie rock bands in America, and have demonstrated an unusual length of time at the top of the indie rock world. They recently released their 13th studio album, Fade.

While arts and entertainment is on the agenda in the Scottish capital during August, in Spring it’s all about science. This year’s Edinburgh International Science Festival begins this Saturday, and among the highlights is an appearance from the man behind a planned mission to Mars, should you wish to get your application in now.

Coinciding with the release of David Bowie’s ﬁrst album in a decade, the Filmhouse’s season of movies celebrating the Thin White Duke’s diverse acting career gets fully under way this week with Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ and Jim Henson’s Labyrinth.

Cairo to Constantinople: Early Photographs of the Middle East is a photographic documentary of a remarkable journey made in 1862 by the then Prince of Wales, later Edward VII. It was an adventure really, a journey across the Middle East, much of it on horseback, and almost as dangerous then as now. The photographer Francis Bedford accompanied the prince and the pictures he took are a remarkable record of all the places along the way, many of which have since changed beyond recognition.